You Let Me Go
by liveitcreateitloveit
Summary: Set after season 7. Hyde is married to Sam but he's unhappy. Eric is still in Africa but he's unhappy. The rest of the gang is miserable too but no one will admit it. Where is Jackie? And what will happen when Eric plans a surprise homecoming that puts him in a compromising situation with the one he always called the devil? Read & find out! This is a J/H love story so don't worry!
1. Chapter 1

__

**Hello all! This is my first story here on fanfiction so be nice hahaha. It's a J/H centered fic about what happened after season 7. In this version, Hyde did get married to Sam but he is miserable just like the rest of his friends but he won't admit it. No one has seen much of Jackie and Eric is still in Africa but hoping to come home soon to surprise Donna. What will the remaining gang do when they realize things aren't as good as they have been pretending them to be? What will Hyde do when he finds out the truth about Jackie and Kelso in the hotel room that night in Chicago? And how does Eric find himself in more than a compromising situation with the one he often refers to as the devil? **

* * *

_**Prologue:  
**Eric Forman woke up with a pounding headache. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this hung-over. He had spent the last year in Africa and didn't do much drinking as he had back home with his friends._

_Yesterday when he finally made it back to the States, the anxiety of seeing his ex-girlfriend started to eat away at him and the first thing he could think to do was get as drunk as possible. Unfortunately, he hadn't exactly thought the plan all the way through and couldn't remember how or when he had gotten home last night._

_Groaning, he rolled over in bed and blinked his eyes open trying to get accustomed to the light. He looked at his surroundings and immediately felt a sense of concussion and worry because he didn't recognize where he was at all._

_He sat up slowly and quickly lifted the blanket to see he was wearing clothes…but nothing that he recognized. And in fact…he was pretty damn sure it was girl's clothes._

_"What the hell?" He said to himself, trying to piece everything together._

_Just at that moment, the bedroom door opened and a familiar brunette poked her head in. "Oh good you're awake. I don't have anything for breakfast here so I'm going to run down to the store. Try not to make a mess while I'm gone." She said rolling her eyes as she shut the door again._

_"Oh. My. God." Eric said clutching the blanket to his chest. "I slept with Jackie!"_

* * *

**  
One week earlier…**

Jackie came back after a long day of work at the studio to her empty apartment just as she did every night. Fez had met and fallen in love with one of the women he worked with at the salon named Carla, which left her without a roommate. As lonely as she felt at times, it was also nice not to have to pretend to be happy in front of anyone.

She slipped off her shoes and her clothes and threw on a pair of sweat pants and slippers. She poured herself a glass of wine and walked over to the couch, she curled her legs up under her and took a deep breath.

And just as they did every night…the tears began to fall.

She was just about to drown her sorrows in her first glass of wine when the phone rang. She sniffled and wiped her tears away to make sure that whoever was on the other end didn't hear the emotion in her voice.

She cleared her throat quickly and picked up the receiver, "Hello?"

_"Jackie?" A familiar voice asked on the other end._

She was silent for a moment before she fully recognized the voice. "Eric?"

_"Oh good I got the right number…" Eric said with a sigh of relief._

"Eric aren't you in Africa?" Jackie asked feeling very confused.  
_  
"Of course I am. Where else would I be?" Eric asked_ _not understanding her question._

"Wait…so they have phones in Africa?" Jackie asked in surprise. "Who knew!"

_Eric rolled his eyes on the other end of the phone, "Yes Jackie. They do have phones in Africa…at least in some parts."_

She shrugged and put her wine down on the table beside her, "I guess you really do learn something new everyday." She stretched her legs out to get more comfortable. "So why are you calling me anyway? Don't you kind of hate me?"

_Eric was silent for a moment, "I don't hate you…I just don't necessarily enjoy your company all the time."  
_  
Jackie chuckled. "The feeling is mutual, trust me."

_"Anyway…I'm calling because I'm heading home next week and I was kind of hoping to surprise Donna and everyone. I thought maybe you could help me set it all up." Eric said._

Jackie felt her heart begin to pound in her chest; she hadn't spent much time with their old gang of friends since Eric left. The idea of planning some surprise for the people that had hurt her most made her sick to her stomach.

"Oh…Eric I-" She started to say before he interrupted her.

_"I know I haven't really talked to Donna since we broke up. My Mom mentioned she was sort of seeing someone for a while but that it didn't work out. I was hoping that maybe surprising her by coming home before I was supposed to would make her see how much I care about her." Eric said nervously._

Jackie sighed. "Look Eric I just-"

_"I mean I know she is mad at me for leaving as it is…but I love Donna. And while I've been here I realized that we really are supposed to be together. I want to show her that I never stopped loving her…I just had to find myself before I could settle down." Eric said sadly._

Jackie could hear the emotion in his voice, she could relate to that feeling of being separated from the person she loved most. She wanted to hang up and say that she couldn't help him because she hated Donna and all their old friends. But deep down…she longed for the life she used to have.

So before she could rethink it, the words slipped out of her mouth. "I would love to help you Eric."

As soon as she agreed to help, Eric launched into his idea for the big surprise and her head immediately began pounding. She reached for her wine glass and prayed that this would be over soon enough for her to go back to being alone again.

* * *

That night at the Forman's, Hyde, Kelso, Donna and Fez were hanging out in the basement as per usual. Hyde had just finished eating dinner upstairs with Red and Kitty and quite honestly just wanted to be by himself. Unfortunately for him, the Foreman's basement was still the hangout everyone flocked too.

Lately he was feeling like his friends had been smothering him. In the past he loved hanging out in the basement with his friends. Now he just wanted everyone to start to go their own way, which made him feel confused. He knew the real reason behind these feelings probably had to do with the one person he wanted to see that never seemed to show her face in the basement anymore, and the one person he wanted nothing to do with that seemed to be around at all the wrong times.

Despite being annoyed with his friends tonight, he was glad that his wife Sam wasn't around. She had picked up an extra shift at the strip club which meant she would be gone until early tomorrow morning, right around when he would be getting up to get ready to open Grooves.

As much as he hated saying his wife was a stripper, he had to admit her profession was quite convenient. Their schedules were complete opposites, which meant he always had an excuse not to be with her. However, the downside was that on her days off, she seemed to need his undivided attention.

There was never much conversation between Hyde and Sam, and that was fine with him. Quite frankly they had nothing in common to really talk about. He never thought he would be sick of sex, but honestly it made his skin crawl every time Sam initiated it with him.

The only reason he ever went through with it was so that he didn't have to listen to her nagging. And at least when they were in bed, he could close his eyes and pretend she was someone else…

Hyde was not listening to a word his friends were saying as he sat in his usual chair in the corner. He had his signature shades on which was a good thing because he was staring at the basement door hopefully.

He would never admit to anyone but everyday he secretly hoped that the door would open and the tiny brunette that haunted his dreams would run in and force them all to pull their heads out of their asses with her bitchy but forceful attitude.

But she never did…

"Hey! Earth to Hyde!" Donna said throwing a magazine at him.

He snapped out of his daze and turned to her as the magazine slid to the ground off of his lap. "What the hell?"

Donna stared at him with a look of concern; "We've been calling your name for like two minutes now…"

Hyde took his feet of the coffee table and cleared his throat. "Oh really?"

Fez leaned toward his friend slowly, "My curly haired friend…are you feeling okay? You don't look so good."

Hyde stood up and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah uh…sorry man…" He thought quickly and then shrugged, "I uh…I think I smoked a little too much today. Feeling a bit off…I'm sure a little sleep will fix it." He said as he started to walk to his room, he really needed to be alone.

"Wait." Kelso said, "We were thinking about heading to the Water Tower to throw stuff at all the kids who make out in the woods there." He said with a smirk.

Hyde shook his head, "Nah…I think I'll pass on that man."

"Oh come on…" Kelso said rolling his eyes. "You never do anything fun with us anymore."

Fez pouted, "Yes. Kelso is right…ever since you got married you became so boring. You have forgotten about us and it makes me sad…"

Hyde sighed again and rubbed a hand over his tired face, "I haven't forgotten about you guys…I'm just busy that's all."

Donna scoffed. "Whatever…"

Hyde turned to her, "Do you have something you would like to say to me Pinciotti?"

She waited a moment and then turned her body towards him, "Actually I do. Ever since you and Jackie broke up you've been a real jackass Hyde."

He tensed at the mention of her name. "What are you even talking about?"

"I'm serious! Why don't you just admit that you screwed up and miss Jackie? I think it would make our lives a little bit easier." She said crossing her arms and glaring at him.

Hyde laughed angrily, "Right…cuz you've been so pleasant since Foreman dumped your ass to go live in a hut half way across the world."

Donna's face burned red with embarrassment. "Eric didn't dump me…" She paused and looked away from him towards Kelso and Fez, "We just agreed that while he was away it was probably better that we took a break…"

Hyde rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm so over this conversation."

He started to walk back to his room when Fez jumped up angrily. "What is happening to us?" He wailed.

Kelso sighed and stood up to put a comforting hand on his friends arm. "It's okay little buddy…it's okay."

Fez shrugged his hand away. "No it isn't Kelso! Not even your beautiful face can make this all okay!"

Kelso sighed, "Great…look what you two did. You've gone and upset him…remember what happened last time you did that? He drowned his sorrows in so much porn he sprained his wrist!"

Hyde grimaced, "Please don't put the mental image of how that could possibly have happened in my head again…"

Donna wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Seriously…I was the one who found him if you remember correctly. I couldn't sleep for a week after that…"

Kelso glared at them both, "Then you both need to make it better."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment before Hyde and Donna both tried to speak up and say "Sorry Fez-"

"Don't!" Fez said throwing his hand up to stop them. "Your apologies will fix nothing. I am afraid that we are to far gone for that…"

"What are you saying little buddy?" Kelso asked quietly.

Fez sighed and sat down on the couch again, "Why are we even pretending we are all the same anymore?"

Donna shifted nervously. "Fez…things may be a little different but-"

"They are more than a little different." Fez said sadly, "Don't you miss the way it used to be? Don't you miss when we were all so close?"

"Fez we are together everyday." Hyde said rolling his eyes still wanting to escape this conversation.

"Yeah we are." Fez said looking back at him. "But it hasn't been the same since Eric and Jackie left…Hyde's always working or with Sam. Donna had that weird stint with Randy and now she's turned into a tall bitchy scary woman. Kelso is either working or off on dates when he doesn't have Betsy for the night. And I'm always with Carla…when we are together we just smoke or watch TV. We never talk anymore…"

"This isn't the fucking Brady Bunch Fez…" Hyde said angrily.

Donna sighed, "That's not what he's trying to say Hyde…"

"So you get it?" Fez asked as he turned towards her.

She smiled sadly at him. "We've all grown apart."

"Isn't that supposed to happen when you grow up?" Hyde asked.

"Not like this…" Donna said started to tear up. "We've all been going through so many changes…and not necessarily good ones but we are to afraid to talk about it." She wiped her tears away and sighed, "The truth is…I really miss Eric."

Kelso smiled at her, "I think we all do."

She shook her head, "I've been so miserable since he left but I haven't wanted to admit it. I hate that he left…I want him to come home but he seems to be having such a great time over there. How can I ask him to come back?"

Kelso sighed, "I hate going out on all these dates with random girls."

Fez gasped and turned to her, "Kelso what are you saying?"

Kelso hung his head and began to talk again, "I know…I know it sounds crazy. The truth is I really was hoping that things would work out with Brooke but she doesn't want to be with me. I guess I've just been with other girls because I hate being alone."

Fez began to tear up. "Oh that is so sad…"

Kelso sighed. "I know! I am Michael freaking Kelso! I'm supposed to sleep with every girl I can…not want to settle down."

Donna rolled her eyes, "Way to ruin a real human moment Kelso…"

"Huh?" He asked looking over at her with confusion written all over his face.

She shook her head and turned back towards Hyde. "What about you Hyde?"

Hyde felt his heart pounding in his chest but his Zen was pushing everything he wanted to say back down.

He shuffled his feet and shrugged, "What about me?"

She stared at her friend with a sense of sadness for him, "Can you honestly say you've been happy this past year?"

Hyde looked at his three friends who were staring at him, waiting for a truthful answer. He was sure they could see right through him but he had never been one to talk about how he really felt.

He didn't want to look weak. And he never liked to admit that he had made any kind of mistake.

"What's there not to be happy about?" He said with another shrug.

Donna sighed, "Come on Hyde…it's just us."

Fez sniffled again, "Yes…you can be honest with us Hyde. We all know you miss the beautiful Goddess that is Jackie just as much as we all do."

Hyde tensed. "I do NOT miss Jackie."

Kelso rolled his eyes and laughed, "Right…so when you stare at the basement door you aren't hoping for Jackie to walk in?"

Hyde glared at him. "What are you even talking about?"

"I never thought I'd say this but Kelso is right…you do stare at that door and we all know who you are thinking about." Donna said honestly.

Hyde shook his head. "Whatever. You losers can sit here and discuss your lame emotions if you really have too. I have nothing to complain about. I have a great life."

"And what's so great about it?" Donna asked curiously.

Hyde turned towards her, "Well for starters, I have a successful business." He said holding up one finger, "I still have Forman's Mom who does my laundry and cooks all my food. She even makes me fresh chocolate chip cookies every Monday which is pretty freaking awesome." He held up a second finger before continuing, "And lets not forget that I have a super hot stripper wife who can't keep her hands off of me which means I have more sex than all of you combined." He said holding up his third finger. "Pretty sure my life is freaking awesome."

Donna stood up and walked towards him. "Lets assess those three things shall we?" Hyde rolled his eyes and Kelso and Fez sat nervously on the couch waiting for the fight to continue. "Yes your business is successful…but you've become a slave to the man in a way haven't you? You're at work all day everyday…and do you honestly love what you are doing? Filing records and dealing with people asking you stupid questions about shitty artists that you hate?"

"Donna I don't think you should…" Kelso started but Donna didn't listen to him.

"Yes you do still have the Formans." She smirked. "You're a 20 year old adult living in a dingy old basement and sleeping on a disgusting old cot."

Fez grimaced, "Donna please just-"

"And yeah you do have a wife…" She said as she walked all the way up to him, ignoring the angry look on Hyde's face. "And yes she is a stripper…she makes her living by taking off her clothes and grinding on other dirty men that aren't you. She doesn't love you…and you don't love her. And with all the sex the two of you have…you're probably going to knock her up one of these days and then you'll have a baby to raise in the basement too. What a life you have…I am so incredibly jealous!" Donna yelled.

Hyde was silent for a moment, letting her words sink in before he lashed back at her. "Well at least I didn't get left at the alter and then left again by someone who moved half way across the country to get away from my annoying ass."

"Hyde!" Kelso yelled at him.

Donna's face burned red again and she ignored Kelso. "Well at least I'm not a old burn out who will never amount to anything and is to afraid of his damn emotions that he pushed the one person that ever loved him away."

"Donna don't…" Fez said feeling even more nervous about the situation.

"Love is for losers." Hyde said rolling his eyes.

Donna chuckled. "Whatever Hyde…you won't admit that you love Jackie because you don't want to take responsibility for the fact that you ruined her life."

"Jackie made her own choices." Hyde said shaking his head. "She chose to go to Chicago and she chose to sleep with Kelso…"

"Except we never actually slept together…" Kelso said holding his hand up slowly.

Everyone turned to look at Kelso finally. "What did you just say?" Hyde asked him.

Kelso shrank down in his seat and cleared his throat slowly. "I uh…I said Jackie and I never actually slept together that night."

There was a silence in the room as everyone waited to see how Hyde would react to this. Slowly, Hyde stomped away from Donna and over towards the couch and glared down at Kelso.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hyde asked.

Kelso grimaced when he heard the tension in his voice. "I tried to sleep with her but she turned me down…"

"Kelso! You were in a towel!" Hyde yelled leaning down towards him.

Kelso fell back further into the couch, bumping into Fez. "I told Jackie I was going to take a shower and when I came out I tried to seduce her with my sexy body but she wasn't going for it…she was to upset about the break up with you."

"That still doesn't explain what you said when you came back to the room with the ice bucket…" Hyde said feeling his temperature beginning to rise through his anger.

Kelso sighed again. "Well Jackie started to burst into tears when I said I wanted to have sex. So I felt bad and tried to comfort her but it only made her cry harder…"

"I still don't understand…" Hyde said becoming very impatient.

"She was starting to really break down so I thought a glass of water would help her calm down. So I went to get some ice…and then when I came back I thought I'd try and make her laugh which is why I said no one would see us from the parking lot if we had sex." He paused and grimaced, "But then you were there…and it all kind of went to hell."

Hyde clenched his fists and groaned. "Why the hell didn't you say anything before now?"

Kelso jumped nervously. "You never asked!"

"You are such a fucking moron!" Hyde said leaning forward to punch him in the arm.

"Ow! Damn Hyde!" Kelso said rubbing his arm gently. "Not so hard!"

Through his rage, Hyde grabbed the nearest object, which happened to the stupid helmet and chucked it across the basement where it smacked into the dryer.

"Jesus Hyde…" Donna said jumping at loud crash that it had caused.

"What the hell is going on down here?" Red yelled as he ran down the basement stairs with Kitty hot on his heels.

Hyde ignored Red's question and continued to glare at Kelso. "Don't you think that I would want to know something like this?"

Kelso threw his hands up in the air. "Jackie told you nothing happened but you didn't listen! I figured you would never believe me anyway, and besides by the time I saw you again you were already married to Sam."

"Fuck!" Hyde yelled reaching again for something to throw, this time it happened to be a random record, which whizzed by Donna's face and she jumped.

"Look Hyde I know you are upset but you need to calm down." She pleaded with him.

"Don't tell me what to do Donna." Hyde said glaring at her, his hands were still clenched at his sides.

"Steven sweetheart…" Kitty said walking towards him slowly. "What's wrong?"

Hyde sighed and glared over at Kelso. "He just told me never actually slept with Jackie which means that I really did screw this all up."

Donna smirked at him, "I thought you said you loved your life…"

"Donna don't…" Fez said to her, "That's enough…"

Donna rolled her eyes, "No. I don't think it is. You were right Fez…we've all been walking around like everything is so great but it's all been so screwed up lately. I admitted that I missed Eric…its time that Hyde pulls his head out of his ass and admit he actually has a heart and he misses Jackie."

"Well I think that's pretty obvious at this point don't you?" Red asked angrily, "He just put a damn dent in my dryer!"

Donna sighed, "I'm sorry Red but maybe it wouldn't kill Hyde to talk about how he actually feels for once."

Everyone turned to Hyde anxiously and he shook his head angrily. "Whatever. What does it even matter? I'm married now."

"So…you can get a divorce." Fez said. "If you really want to be with Jackie I bet you can fix this."

"Who said I want to be with Jackie?" Hyde said.

Kelso rolled his eyes, "You really can't deny it now man."

Hyde held a fist up towards Kelso again making him jump slightly, "You shut the hell up. You've done enough."

Kelso sighed and stood up, he made sure to keep a careful distance from Hyde incase he lunged at him again. "Look man I'm sorry okay? I guess I didn't realize how much you actually cared about Jackie. You've been saying how happy you are with Sam I guess I figured I did you a favor by having a reason to leave Jackie for good."

Hyde's foot was tapping because he was bursting with energy, Kitty walked up to him tentatively, "Sweet heart everything is going to be okay…"

Hyde looked over at her. "Is it?" Everyone was quiet again, "When was the last time any of you saw Jackie? When was the last time anyone even talked to her?"

The silence overtook them all again, "I suppose since I moved out of her apartment I haven't talked to her much at all…" Fez whispered sadly.

Donna looked down feeling ashamed, "I can't remember the last time I talked to her."

Kelso sighed. "Me either…"

Hyde nodded. "See?" He turned back to Fez. "You can't blame how much we've all changed just on me."

Red sighed. "Alright, I don't know what started all of this but that's enough screaming for one night. I think we can all agree that you've all been real jerks lately and I don't know how I haven't shoved my foot in any of your asses yet…"

"Red…" Kitty said with a shake of her head.

He looked at her and then back at the others in the room. "But standing here screaming at each other isn't going to fix anything. So why don't you all shut the hell up, go home and figure out how to fix it all in the morning."  
Hyde shook his head, "Whatever. I'm outta here…" He quickly grabbed his coat and exited the basement without a second look at his friends.

Fez was the first to speak up, "You don't think he'll do anything stupid do you?"

"What's the worst he can do Fez? Marry a stripper?" Donna asked, "He already did that…"

Kitty sighed, "Now that I think about it…where has Jackie been? Do you think she's okay?"

Donna ignored the aching in her chest that had her worrying about her former best friend. "Jackie's tough Mrs. Forman…I'm sure she's just fine."

"Jackie's not as tough as she may look…" Kelso said nervously, "I realized that that night at the hotel…she was a mess over the break up with Hyde. I'd never seen her like that…"

"And that was before Sam showed up…" Fez whispered.

Red looked at them all and then turned to walk towards the basement stairs again. "I suggest tomorrow you all figure out a way to make it up to her for being such crappy friends. For now I'm going to bed…and if anyone else breaks anything in this house they will be replacing it!"

Kitty watched her husband go before turning to the three young adults she considered to be her other children. "I'm sure everything is going to be just fine…"

She laughed nervously and then followed her husband upstairs. That left the three friends sitting in silence once more all wondering how they had gone from another usual night in the basement to this breaking point in their group.

* * *

Meanwhile…at Jackie's apartment she was finally lying in bed trying to quiet the millions of thoughts running through her head. She felt like this plan to help Eric was a stupid idea and she didn't know why she wasn't able to say no to him. Out of everyone in their group, it wasn't like she was closest to Eric.

What was it that had made her say yes?

Did she want to see her old friends again? Did she want to believe in true love again? She grimaced and shook her head, no that couldn't be it. Her friends had abandoned her when she needed them most. And she knew now that there was no such thing as true love…

Even if Eric's plan worked, he and Donna would break up down the road. Love was fleeting…it wasn't real and long lasting. Nothing was…the only person you could ever count on was yourself and she knew that to be true now.

Her eyes were burning with tears but she squeezed them shut quickly before the tears could spill down her cheeks. She curled up into a ball and threw the pillow over her head to block out the rest of the world.

Because she couldn't hear anything, she didn't hear the person knocking on her apartment door as she began to drift off to sleep…

The knocking continued for a few minutes until the curly haired man on the other side finally gave up and walked down the hall with a sense of defeat…

* * *

**S****o what did you think? Do you want me to continue? Let me know! But remember this is my first time writing any fanfiction so don't be to harsh hahaha.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! Thanks for sending in the reviews. Just a few things before you keep reading :)**

**First of all many of you seem very nervous about the prologue and what happens between Eric and Jackie. All I'm going to say is that I am a DIE HARD Jackie and Hyde fan and I'm so angry that they didn't end up together when the show ended. Just know that my ultimate goal is for them to be together so you really shouldn't worry to much. Just remember things aren't always what they seem. ;)**

**Also for the basis of the story, Eric never came home for New Years and Jackie and Fez never got together like in the finale. It's been a full year since Eric left for Africa so it's like April 1980 at this point. Obviously Sam and Hyde are still together (Yes I absolutely hate Sam and wish she had never been introduced but whatever she won't be in the story all that much). I love the characters of That 70s Show but I often felt like most of them never really talked about how they really felt about things, especially in Season 8. I thought with all the changes they were all to accepting of how their group had been torn apart and so the last chapter was a taste of how I think they all would have felt about the way things had happened.**

**With that being said...I'm glad to see that some of you are interested and hope that you continue to read and send in reviews! Hope you like the next chapter! Thanks again! **

* * *

The next morning, Jackie woke up and quickly got ready for another long day at work. She was working at the local news station as a hair and make up artist hoping to make friends with the right people to be able to get on the show herself. Currently, she hated her position but she knew she had to make money to keep her apartment, which happened to be the only thing she had in her life.

As she ate breakfast, she thought back to her conversation with Eric. They planned that she would pick him up at the airport and drive him to the Forman's house. She was going to knock on the door and distract them all while Eric snuck on the back door and down into the basement. Then she was supposed to tell Donna she wanted to talk to her alone in the basement and direct her downstairs to where Eric would be waiting for her.

Eric could not have been more excited about the plan, Jackie on the other hand felt sick to her stomach about it. For one thing, she hadn't seen any of her old friends really in months. How was she supposed to just show up at the Forman's after all this time and expect them to even want to see her?

Did they care about where she had been lately? It sure didn't seem like it…

They could have picked up a phone at anytime or stopped be her apartment to see how she was doing. But no one ever did…

Sighing, she threw the still full bowl of cereal into the sink once again not having the strength to eat. She didn't bother to look in the mirror because she knew her clothes were hanging off of her body. Last time she checked, she had lost at least 10 pounds, which was a lot considering how tiny she had always been.

She grabbed her keys and jacket and locked up the apartment before heading out to her car. Sitting in the usual traffic, she turned to her right and saw The Hub beginning to come to life for the day. Her heart ached when she thought of the time she had spent with her friends there.

It honestly seemed like years ago rather than just months…

She didn't understand why she couldn't seem to tell Eric that she wasn't going to be able to help him with his plan. Its not like she owed him or anyone else anything.

They had all abandoned her…just like everyone always did.

Why didn't she just tell Eric that she hadn't seen Donna in months and she didn't really care whether or not they were together? No one cared about her pain so why should she care about theirs?

And yet…she had agreed to help him. But why?

She sighed and turned into the parking lot of the news station and quickly made her way into the building because it was starting to rain. She was early but she often liked to come in early so she had a few moments to herself before the newscasters would shuffle through.

She set up the make up and products that she used everyday and made sure that the coffee was brewing for them on the counter nearby. She took a deep breath, glanced in the mirror and reminded herself to smile so that no one could see her pain.

The door opened and Tom Shaw the head news anchor walked in and flashed his white, straight smile at her. "There's my favorite girl."

Jackie smiled and turned her back to him before rolling her eyes, "Hello Mr. Shaw."

He smirked and sauntered towards her and put a gentle hand on her lower back as he did every morning. "How is the most beautiful girl in all of Point Place?"

She put on her fakest smile and turned towards him, wanting his hands away from her behind. "I am great Mr. Shaw. How are you?"

He sighed and plopped down in his chair, "Well I'd be a lot better if you finally agreed to go out on a date with me little miss."

Jackie cringed as she turned away again to find what she needed for his hair. "Oh Mr. Shaw…we've talked about this."

Tom Shaw was 42 years old and the most famous person in all of Point Place because he had been doing the local news for over 15 years. He was also a notorious womanizer despite the fact that he was married and had four children. Everyday he asked Jackie out on a date and everyday she said no.

She was pretty sure she was the only woman who worked in the studio who had not slept with him. Even if she wasn't trying to stay as far away from men at all or if he wasn't married, she would never have slept with him simply because he creeped her out.

"We have talked about it…and I still don't understand why you keep saying no." Tom said leaning over in his chair so that his face was quite close to ass.

She felt her blood begin to boil and it took all her energy not to turn and punch him in the face but she knew she needed this job. "Well Mr. Shaw I have told you that I would prefer to keep this as a work relationship only."

Tom smirked up at her, "No one has to know…"

She turned and leered down at him. "There is no such thing as secrets in this studio Mr. Shaw. Everyone would know."

He chuckled and stood up making sure to invade even more of her personal bubble. "Oh I get it now…you just don't want to share me with any of the other ladies here…"

She felt the bile rise in her throat, God he made her sick but she just smiled still at him. "You caught me…I'm not that good at sharing."

He smiled down at her and leaned in as if he was going to kiss her. "How do you know if you never gave it a try?"

She stepped back and grabbed the hairbrush waiting for her. "Well unfortunately if we continue to talk we will be late for your news cast."

He sighed and sat down in the chair again, "One of these days I'll find a way to get you to say yes Jackie…"

She got to work on his hair and simply said, "If that's what you need to think to make you happy then go for it."

He just laughed again and then began to read out loud the script he would be reading this morning for the newscast. Jackie tried to quiet the voices in her head telling her to put superglue instead of gel in this mans hair to send him a clear message that she wanted nothing to do with him.

But instead…she smiled and did her job just like she did everyday.

* * *

Meanwhile at Grooves, Hyde was in his office going through the new inventory that had come in that morning. He had told his employees Kathleen and Michael not to bother him unless it was absolutely necessary.

Last night he had only gotten about two hours of sleep. After the disastrous fight in the basement and Jackie not answering her apartment door…he had driven around town until he ran his gas tank down.

When he got back to the Forman's it was almost 3:30 in the morning, which meant the Forman's, were asleep and thankfully none of his friends had stayed behind to confront him again. Even better, Sam still wasn't home from work. He fell onto the dingy old cot and immediately fell asleep because he was so drained from the night's events.

When the alarm went off at 5:30 he wanted to throw it across the room and forget about going to work but he figured he had broken enough things last night and he knew his Dad would kill him if he didn't open the store. Sam rolled over in bed and tried to snuggle up to him, which gave him the strength to get up. She smelled like cigarettes, beer and sweat which made him cringe. How many dirty old men had groped her last night while she danced for them?

He was grateful that the Forman's weren't awake yet so he was able to slip out of the house without having to seem them to discuss what had happened.

He could hear customers walking around the store but he didn't bother to check in on them. Quite frankly he didn't really care.

His mind was still reeling about everything he had gone through last night. Why did Hyde believe Kelso when he said he never slept with Jackie but he couldn't believe Jackie when she said it?

He knew the reason he believed Kelso…if they had actually done it Kelso would have bragged about it non-stop. He would have rubbed it in his face that he had stolen Hyde's girlfriend. He never would have said they didn't do it if they actually did…

But why didn't he believe Jackie? His mind immediately wandered back to that last night in the hotel room after Kelso had run off in his towel…

* * *

**Chicago, Spring 1979**

_Hyde watched Kelso running, his towel blowing behind him until it ultimately fell off and he continued to run naked. He could feel Jackie staring at the back of his head but his heart was pounding so fast he could feel and hear it in his head, which made everything else seem irrelevant._

_God he felt so stupid!_

_He had driven all the way here to tell her he did see a future with her and that he wanted her to come home. And here she was already falling in some other guy's arms, but not just any guy…_

_She picked the one guy that Jackie knew Hyde felt insecure about. He didn't often feel jealous in his relationship with Jackie. Sure, guys were always hitting on her around him but he knew none of them mattered, Jackie always brushed them off._

_But not Kelso. Never Kelso._

_Whenever he flirted with her, Jackie didn't necessarily flirt back but she was always laughing at him. She had what Eric had called a "soft spot" for him because he had been her first boyfriend._

_Hyde knew that that couldn't be changed but it didn't mean it didn't bother him._

_"Steven…" She whispered softly from behind him._

_He didn't turn to her; he didn't think he could face her right now because he felt to betrayed. He stayed where he stood and stared in the direction where Kelso had disappeared too. It shocked him that he had not run after him to kick his ass probably because he was to hurt to even move._

_"Steven please…" Jackie squeaked from behind him, he could hear the emotion in her voice but it didn't matter._

_He took a deep, shaky breath and then chuckled. "Well that didn't take long…"_

_Suddenly she was beside him and she was clinging to his arm. "No. No. It's not-I didn't-We didn't-"_

_His head finally turned towards her and he ripped his arm out of her grasp. "Oh so you didn't screw him?"_

_The tears were streaming down her face now and she was shaking but he was so angry her emotion wasn't going to work on him this time. "No. No I didn't Steven! I never would have done that-"_

_"It's not like you haven't slept with him before. What did you call him after you lost your virginity to him? Your Apollo Rocket of Love?" He said with an angry smirk._

_She shook her head quickly. "Steven that was years ago and I didn't even mean it! He was horrible in bed and I-"_

_"Has he improved at all?" He said glaring at her._

_"Steven I swear on my life that I didn't sleep with him." She said grabbing for his arm again._

_Hyde rolled his eyes and pulled his arm away again. "Oh please Jackie…do you honestly expect me to believe you?"_

_"Yes!" Jackie said yelling desperately at him. "I do expect you to believe me!"_

_"Why?" Hyde asked shoving his hands in his pockets as he bore his eyes into hers._

_She shrunk back slowly and wrapped her arms around herself suddenly feeling very small and vulnerable. "Be-because I love you." She stuttered._

_Her words cut through him like a newly sharpened knife slicing through his organs. "No you don't."_

_She flinched and stared up at him in shock. "How can you say that?"_

_"If you love someone you don't give them an ultimatum. If you love someone you don't take off without letting them answer you. If you love someone you don't screw their best friend!" Hyde screamed at her._

_She jumped as his voice rose to a new terrifying level. "Steven I didn't sleep with him! And I left because you didn't seem like you wanted me to stay! I didn't think you wanted me…I needed to know what I was to you."_

_Hyde rolled his eyes. "Jackie why would I have stayed with you this long if I didn't want to be with you?"_

_She swallowed the lump in her throat and shrugged. "I don't know!"_

_Hyde shook his head and turned away from her. "Whatever. It doesn't matter anymore. I'm out of here."_

_She ran after him without hesitating and grabbed his arm again hoping to keep him from leaving. "Steven please. Wait. Just listen to me."_

_"Jackie I don't care what you have to say. This is so stupid." He said ripping the door of the El Camino open._

_"Steven I never slept with him. He wanted to but I said no. I don't want him; I haven't wanted him since I fell in love with you. Please!" She said sobbing hysterically now._

_Something in her voice made him believe her deep down but he couldn't seem to give into her this time. "It's over Jackie."_

_"Don't say that..." She said as her voice cracked with defeat._

_He took one last look in her eyes and fought the urge to pull her into his arms and say everything he had come here to say. "I'm done Jackie. Go find Kelso…I'm sure its not to late to make him your perfect obeying husband." He smirked at her. "But I wouldn't expect him to be faithful to you…" She shrugged. "But clearly you don't know what being faithful means either…you'll have the perfect marriage then."_

_He saw her open her mouth to respond and he saw the pain and anguish in her eyes but he ignored it as he slid into the Camino and slammed the door in her face. He turned the key and backed out of the parking lot. The screech of his tires drowned out the sound of Jackie screaming his name but it didn't block out the image of her running after his car in the rearview mirror until she fell to the ground bowing her head as she cried._

* * *

As he snapped out of his memory, Hyde wondered what would have happened if he had stayed and listened to everything she had to say. If he had been able to pull his head out of his ass and actually believe the truth would they still be together? He clearly wouldn't have gone to Vegas and made the biggest mistake of his life by marrying Sam.

But even without Sam in the picture, would Jackie and him still be together? Would they have made it or would he have found another way to screw it up? He knew what Jackie had wanted…and he knew what he had gone to Chicago to tell her.

He had gone to say that he wasn't ready to get married…at least not at that very moment. But he did see himself getting married to her at some point when they were ready for it. He knew he loved her and he knew that he wasn't going to ever find someone who loved him as much as Jackie did. But despite all that, would it have worked out?

He wanted to believe that it could have, he wanted to believe that he could have grown up enough to give her what she wanted. But the past few months had shown him he was a lot more immature than he had ever thought.

Everything his friends had said last night was true. He missed Jackie. He hated Sam. He hated that he still lived in the Forman's basement. Not because he didn't love Red and Kitty but because he knew at his age he should be off on his own. He hated that he had broken Jackie's heart, and that he had pushed the one person that ever really loved him so far away. He didn't want to live like this anymore…but how was he supposed to change it all? He was married…and he didn't want to prove everyone right that he was going to have a screwed up life by getting divorced.

Although when he thought about…the idea that he was married to a stripper and still living in his friends parents basement was more screwed up then saying you were divorced wasn't it?

He sighed and tried to focus on filing the records again when he heard a knock on the door. He ignored it and focused harder on the bins in front of him. But the person knocked again.

He groaned and lifted his head to yell at them to go away just as the door opened and Kitty's head popped around the corner. "Mrs. Forman?"

She smiled nervously at him. "Hi sweetie…I'm sorry to be bothering you at work." She said as she slipped into the room and shut the door behind her.

He sat up straighter and tried to get rid of the tension in his body. "Uh…no it's fine. Come in. Is everything okay?"

She giggled nervously and shuffled closer to his desk. "Oh everything is just fine sweetie. But you left this morning without eating anything…you shouldn't eat on an empty stomach. Especially not after the long, terrible night you had…"

Hyde cringed at the mention of what had happened. "I'm fine Mrs. F. I ran and got a bagel and coffee before work. But…about last night I'm so sorry for that. I'll pay for whatever damages the dryer has."

She shook her head and placed a paper bag in front of him. "Oh don't worry about that old, rusty dryer." She said giggling again. "I've needed an excuse to get a new one anyway. I'm more worried about you…"

Hyde avoided her gaze, "I'm fine Mrs. Forman. We all have arguments with our friends from time to time. It will all blow over…"

She frowned slightly. "But I feel like this has been a long time coming Steven…there's been a lot of changes this past year and I think its time we talk about them."

"What's there to talk about?" He asked standing up quickly trying to find a way to get away from her and this conversation.

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh Steven stop pretending that you are so happy with your life! Donna was right! You miss Jackie!"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Hyde asked groaning angrily.

Kitty rolled her eyes at him, "Because you've been an old grouch since the day that Jackie left for Chicago Steven!"

Hyde let her words sink in; quite frankly he was too tired to even deny them especially because he knew they were true. "Look Mrs. Forman…" He sighed and turned back towards her, resting against his desk. "I just don't know how I could possibly change any of this now…"

She smiled sadly at him and walked closer to him, she placed a motherly hand on his arm and squeezed it to comfort him. "Steven it's never to late to admit when you are wrong."

He looked up at her slowly, "But even if I admit it…even if I find a way to get rid of Sam…do you honestly think Jackie will forgive me? I mean no one has even seen her in months! How do we even know she is still in Point Place?"

Kitty sighed, "I don't know if she will forgive you…but you won't know until you try." She shrugged. "And I know she still lives in Point Place because I have a friend who works with her."

"You do?" He asked suddenly perking up. "Who? Why didn't you say anything before now?"

Kitty chuckled sadly. "Because whenever someone even mentioned her name you would go on at least a three day drinking binge…"

Hyde grimaced, "Oh…you noticed that?"

She laughed, "It was kind of hard not to honey…"

He took off his sunglasses and rubbed a hand over his tired face, "How is she doing? Is she okay?"

Kitty shrugged. "My friend Natalie said that she kind of keeps to herself at the news studio. She said she's quiet but she shows up everyday without fail."

He smiled, "So she's working for a television news cast? That's good…that's what she always wanted…"

She nodded slowly, "Yes well I don't think it's exactly her dream job. She's doing hair and make up for the news anchors."

"Well maybe she will be able to get her foot in the door to get on TV." He said hopefully. "She deserves to get what she wants…"

Kitty smiled and squeezed his arm again. "So do you Steven…"

He smiled at her sadly, "Even after all the crap I've done?"

She sighed and placed a gentle hand on his cheek, "Steven you've been through a lot of difficult things in your life. You haven't always made the best choices but you are a good man at heart…and you deserve all the happiness in the world. And I know for a fact that Jackie is the one that makes you happy…"

He sighed and felt the lump in his throat grow, "I really don't know how to fix this one Mrs. Forman…"

She smiled and pulled him into a tight hug. "You'll find a way Steven…You always do."

Hyde let her wrap her arms around him and he finally let himself feel everything he had been trying to avoid since that night in Chicago.

* * *

When she was done with work, Jackie cleaned up the dressing room and walked past all her co-workers to her car. She once again felt exhausted, and her stomach was rumbling begging for her to feed it. As she was driving home, she had to pass The Hub again which she had been avoiding for months now. But when her stomach rumbled again and she remembered she only had cereal and milk at home she made a quick U-Turn and parked in front of the restaurant.

She quickly jumped out of the car, slipped on her sunglasses and walked in the front door of the fast food joint. She looked around quickly to make sure she didn't recognize anyone and sighed with relief when she saw that it was mostly empty. She ran up to the front counter and put in her order, paid and then stepped to the side to patiently wait for it to be ready.

She was almost home free when she heard someone call out to her, "Jackie is that you?"

Her heart jumped from her chest to her throat and she tried to pretend that she didn't hear them. Maybe they would give up if she didn't answer, but they called out to her again.

"Jackie?" The voice asked getting closer to her.

She sighed and turned around quickly to see Michael Kelso standing in front of her. "Oh…hi Michael."

His face lit up and he pulled her in for a hug without letting her say anything else. "Jackie it's so good to see you!"

She gasped when she felt her body crush against his but she tried to hug him back. "It's uh…it's good to see you too Michael."

Kelso was shocked to feel her bones press against him, how was it possible that she was even more skinny then he remembered her to be? He pulled away to look at her and noticed just how tiny she looked.

"Where have you been?" He asked trying to pretend that her appearance wasn't shocking to him. "We were all just saying we haven't seen you in months!"

She licked her lips and pushed her hair behind her ear. "Oh you know…I've just been busy with work and stuff. I got a new job and after Fez moved out I had to pay for the rent myself so I'm just trying to make sure I can keep the apartment."

Kelso finally let go of her completely and put his hands in his pockets. "Well we've all really missed you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

He smiled that goofy, innocent smile of his and nodded his head. "Of course we have! I mean after Eric left that was a huge blow but then when you stopped coming around too it just made it even worse."

She tried to smile; out of all of her friends Kelso was usually the most sincere mostly because he was so much less mature than all of them he didn't always catch on to tension between anyone. "Well it's good to hear that I've been missed…"

Kelso sighed. "You have. You really have Jackie…"

She shrugged. "I guess I figured with the new addition of Sam that you wouldn't notice that I was really gone."

Kelso rolled his eyes. "Oh please…Sam may have a rockin bod but she isn't you Jackie. To be honest she's kind of really annoying…and it gets kind of distracting when all she wears is a bra and short shorts. She even wore that stuff in the middle of winter!"

Jackie smiled at him. "I thought you would love that? You love seeing girls half naked."

Kelso shrugged, "I guess it gets boring after awhile."

"I'm sorry to hear that it's been so difficult for you…" She said trying to keep the anger out of her voice; she knew Kelso wouldn't understand it.

"Anyway…" He said shuffling his feet. "We were all actually just talking about you yesterday."

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh really? Whys that?"

Kelso sighed, "Well Donna and Hyde kind of got into a fight and started bringing up old stuff and Hyde was talking about that night in Chicago when he found you and me at the hotel room and I was in a towel…"

Jackie's heart started to pound in her chest, she tried to never think of the name Hyde and she definitely tried to never think about that horrible night. "Wh-why-why were you talking about that?" She stuttered nervously.

"Well Hyde was yelling about how we had done it but I told him we didn't and then he ended up getting even more mad which I don't get. I mean shouldn't he be happy to know that you didn't really cheat on him?" Kelso asked.

Jackie felt like her heart was going to leap right out of her chest. "What did he say when you told him that?"

Kelso shrugged. "Oh well he said that I should have told him sooner."

Jackie shook her head, "But I told him that nothing had happened. Why would it matter if you said it or not?"

He shrugged again, "I don't know. To be honest, I've never really understood most of the things that Hyde does."

Jackie wanted to scream, why did she have to stop at The Hub? She could have avoided this situation al together if she had just ignored her damn stomach. Who needed food anyway?

"Michael why did Steven even care about what happened that night? Doesn't he have Sam to keep him warm at night?" She said angrily.

"Well yeah he does but to be honest…I don't think he's really happy with her. In fact if you ask me…" He smiled at her, "I think he really misses you."

Her already pounding heart seemed to crack just a little more in her chest and she suddenly felt weak in the knees. His words seemed to be ringing in her ears; "_I think he really misses you. I think he really misses you. I think he really misses you…"_

"Order for Jackie!" The kid behind the counter yelled.

She jumped slightly and turned as fast as she could to rip the bag out of his hand. She didn't even say thank you as she turned back to Kelso, but she didn't look him in the eye.

"Michael it was really great to see you but I have to be getting home now. Lots to do!" She said rushing past him.

"Wait!" Kelso called after her. "Don't you want to stay and hang out?"

She looked back at him quickly and tried to smile, "I'm sure we'll run into each other real soon Michael. See you!"

She was gone before Kelso could even say another word leaving him extremely confused about what had just happened. What had made he run off so quickly? It couldn't have been anything he said…

He was quiet for a moment before he shrugged and walked back to the ordering counter. He would never understand women…

* * *

Back in the car; Jackie was gripping the steering wheel trying to hold the tears in that were threatening to spill over. Her heart was beating so fast she was sure it was about to burst out of her chest. She was finding it hard to breath and she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs.

_**Why?  
**_  
Why after all this time did the mere mention of Steven Hyde send her into a tailspin? Why was it that he had been able to stay with that stripper wife of his and forget her but she wasn't able to move on? Why did he believe Kelso when he said that he didn't sleep with Jackie when she had told him the same thing? Why would it matter if Steven Hyde missed her and quite frankly why would he miss her? He had Samantha.

She let the sobs rake through her body and she rested her head against the steering wheel. Why did it all have to hurt so damn much?

* * *

**So what did you think? I hated that Kelso ruined the perfect reunion of Jackie and Hyde in season 7. But if it had to be that way, I wanted to know what happened after the episode ended, thats why I wrote that scene. Hope you are still interested and want me to continue. Send in a review but please no rude reviews about it being terrible. I never send in reviews if I don't like it, I just stop reading it. I think its more respectful of someone's writing that way. Thanks! I'll try and update tomorrow! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I'm glad some of you are still interested this story so I'm going to continue. I love That 70s Show and I especially love Jackie and Hyde so I really want to continue with the story so hopefully you will continue to read. For those of you that are still worried about the Eric/Jackie thing don't worry to much okay? Like I said I love Jackie/Hyde and I like the pairings from the show the way they are. So just trust me and keep reading ;) THANKS!**

Please send in a review if you can. It really gives me the motivation to update quicker.  


* * *

Two days later, Hyde had done his best to avoid Sam. Thankfully it was her regular nights that she worked which limited the time they did see each other. When she was home, he pretended to either be to tired to deal with her or he said he had something he had to do.

After his talk with Kitty, he knew that he had to break things off with Sam and see if he could make them work with Jackie. Even though he knew it was the right thing to do, the idea of it all terrified him. He would never admit it, but that feisty brunette that he loved so much scared the crap out of him.

She may be tiny but the girl could kick hard enough to give you massive bruises, and more than that her voice seemed to sometimes reach a register that only dogs could hear. To be honest, it surprised him she didn't kick and scream when Sam showed up in the first place like he had been accepting. Maybe it was because he hurt her too much for her to even try and fight…that thought scared him more than anything else.

After work one night, Hyde parked his car in the driveway of the Formans and sat for a moment by himself. He hadn't seen Donna, Fez or Kelso since the scene in the basement. He figured they were all avoiding each other because none of them wanted to face the fact that they had made mistakes in the past year.

But they couldn't avoid each other forever…

And Hyde was coming to realize the longer you waited to deal with certain things the worse they became. So, with a heavy sigh he got out of the El Camino and instead of walking towards the Forman's house he walked towards the Pinciotti's. He waited a minute at the back door before he knocked because he still had no idea what the hell he was going to say to Donna.

He was kind of glad she was the one to answer because he didn't want to have to make small talk with Bob. Donna seemed shocked to see him standing on the other side of the door, she cleared her throat and tried to relax. "Oh…hi."

He shoved his hands in his pockets, a nervous habit of his. "Hey there Big Red…"

She smirked at him because she knew he was just as uncomfortable as he was, she pointed to her hair. "How much did you smoke today? I'm still a blonde Hyde…"

Hyde shrugged, "You'll always be Big Red…in fact you should probably dye your hair back anyway. It suits you better."

Donna laughed and walked out of the house, "I've been thinking about it actually. I don't think the blonde is working for me…" She shut the door behind her and turned back to him. "My Dad's got some woman over…it's probably safer to talk out here."

Hyde chuckled, "How Bob gets all those ladies I'll never know. But…God bless him."

She rolled her eyes. "Please…you and the rest of the guys are what feeds his ego."

"No…I think it's the all the bodacious babes that sleep with him that feed his ego." He said with a smirk.

Donna groaned and leaned forward to shove him back. "I hate you."

Hyde laughed and shook his head, walking back a little to keep the distance. "No you don't."

She sighed and walked over to the bench in the backyard and sat down. "No. I suppose I don't…"

He nodded slowly and walked over to her to sit down beside her. "And I don't hate you either…" He shrugged. "Just for the record."

She smiled and reached across to pat his leg. "I know…"

He leaned back and cleared his throat, "I probably should have come over sooner to talk to you but we all know I'm not that good at admitting when I'm wrong or talking about my feelings. Something you were so kind to point out the other night…" He teased.

She cringed. "Hyde I'm so sorry…"

He shook his head, "Don't be. It's all things I needed to hear…all things we know. It's cool. But I'm sorry to for all the crap I said to you about Forman. That was uncalled for."

Donna frowned. "I guess we've all been pretty screwed up for awhile. It was only a matter of time before it all exploded…"

Hyde turned from her to look around the yard as he continued to talk, "You know I haven't had a lot of people in my life that I really care about. But our group of friends always kept me together. I hate to admit it but you guys kept me out of jail…or from dying really of a drug overdose." He said with a sad laugh.

Donna watched him carefully, "We're all very close. We've protected each other from a lot in our own weird ways."

He nodded in agreement. "But as close as we are…none of us like to admit when things are wrong. Especially me."

"All part of growing up I think." She whispered, "I mean I think we've had this great little group for all this time and we all want to keep it that way. We've all been so afraid to grow up and have to leave the basement that we literally missed the moment when it happened."

"Not all of us…" Hyde said as he turned back to her. "Forman and Jackie got the memo…we just hated them for taking a chance."

"Because we were to afraid of change to believe in them." Donna said with tears prickling in her eyes. "To scared to believe in us…"

Hyde sighed and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I hate this crap."

"Me too." Donna said pulling her legs up against her chest. "When did we grow up? I mean seriously I don't understand how it happened…"

Hyde smirked and tried to joke with her, "I guess what they said about pot was true…it really kills your brain cells. It ate so many of ours we missed a couple of years along the way."

Donna laughed and wiped her tears away. "Maybe…but it was damn fun while it lasted."

He pursed his lips and nodded in agreement. "Yes it was."

They sat in silence for a few moments, content with just sitting together. It felt good to finally admit that things were wrong and not be so afraid anymore. They had been so afraid to leave their bubble that was the Forman's basement that they let the world pass them by. They even hurt people they loved the most because they didn't want to grow up…but now they had no other choice.

Donna took a deep breath, "I guess growing up doesn't mean we can't have any fun…"

Hyde thought about what she had said and then leaned back on the bench again. "I guess not…"

She shrugged, "And honestly how much fun have we had in the last year with the way things have been going?"

He sighed, "Not much at all…"

She looked over at him with a sad expression, "I miss Jackie and Eric…"

Hyde looked back at her and put a hand on her back. "Me too…"

She put a hand over his arm that was wrapped around her comfortingly. "So what do we do now? Eric's supposed to come home in a few months and I don't want to ask him to leave early…it sounds like he's having a great time."

"Maybe you just have to let him finish his time there and then work on it when he gets home. While he's gone figure out what you want to do with your life, start to make some changes and then go from there." He suggested.

She nodded. "That's not a bad plan." He smiled and she waited a moment before asking in a quiet nervous voice, "What about you? What are you going to do about Sam and Jackie?"

He groaned and ran a hand through his curly hair. "Yeah my problem is a little more complicated than yours."

She chuckled. "Just a little…"

He rolled his eyes, "Thanks for the encouragement Pinciotti."

She laughed harder and shrugged, "Well it is! I can't pretend it's not."

He smiled sadly and sighed. "Well I guess I have to deal with Sam first…tell her I want a divorce."

"How do you think she will react? I mean does she think that things are good between you?" She asked curiously.

Hyde snorted, "I don't see how she could. We never see each other, and when we do I always have an excuse about why I can't talk. Sure we have sex but that's about it…and it's not that enjoyable anyway."

She shook her head and smirked. "You really do love Jackie to turn down sex with a stripper."

He looked at her with a quick hard glance. "I'm not a complete pig."

Her face flushed and she bowed her head slowly, "Sorry…that came out wrong."

He shook his head, "It's okay. You have a point…it's not like I really had any real relationships before Jackie. And even with her I made a million mistakes."

"We all make mistakes Hyde…I think we've realized that as of late." She said trying to make him feel better.

"Maybe…" He paused and looked down at his hands afraid to meet her eyes, "Do you think she'll ever forgive me?"

Donna frowned, "I don't know…but I guess you won't know until you try."

He laughed, "It's funny…after Sam showed up I honestly expected to Jackie to freak out and kick her ass like she did with Laurie. She's always been the one to make sure everyone knows exactly how she feels about everything. But this time she just…didn't say anything."

Donna didn't want to hurt him but she had to be honest, "Maybe she just gave up. Maybe it was too much…"

"That's what scares me…" He said in barely a whisper. "I'm afraid it's too late. I'm afraid she gave up on me…"

"I wish I could help you…but it's not like my relationship with Jackie is all that great at the moment as it is." She said sadly.

"We all kind of abandoned her didn't we?" Hyde asked feeling even more guilty.

"Yeah. I think we did…" She said feeling the tears start to well up in her eyes again.

He sighed and looked over at her, "So…you ready to grow up?"

Donna laughed, "Ready as I'll ever be I guess. What about you?"

He shook his head, "Not sure if I'm ready really but I know I hate the way my life is right now. Something's gotta give…and I know the only way I'll be happy is if I find a way to get Jackie back."

"It's going to be okay Hyde…" She said rubbing his shoulder gently.

He tried to smile at her. "I hope so…"

The two old friends sat together in the backyard thinking about how much their life had changed in such a short time. No one ever really wanted to grow up; it was much easier to live in a dream world where they could have no responsibility ever. But that wasn't the way the world worked…and if they didn't make changes now it would only get harder.

They just hoped that it wasn't to late to fix everything that mattered most.

* * *

Later that night, Hyde finished dinner with the Forman's and then went back to the basement by himself. Donna had to work a late shit at the Radio Station so he knew she wouldn't be coming around and he hadn't seen Fez and Kelso since the fight. It was probably for the better because he needed a little time to gather his thoughts and he was also planning on trying to talk to Sam when she got home.

He sat down on the couch and opened a beer, hoping it would relax his extremely frayed nerves. He felt like he had opened up some hidden door in his mind that had been locked for almost a year and finally all his thoughts and feelings were spilling out at once. It was difficult to try and deal with it all at once but he knew he couldn't hide from it all anymore.

When the door opened and Sam walked in, he knew it was now or never. She flipped her fake blonde hair and smirked at him. "Hey baby."

Hyde cleared his throat nervously and tried to nod in her general direction. "Hey."

She sauntered towards him before plopping down and taking the beer from his hand to take a sip. "I am so glad that I have the next few days off. I'm exhausted!"

He raised an eyebrow at her, "I'm sure you are…"

She sighed happily and leaned into him, "Are we alone for once?"

He cringed knowing what she wanted, "Sam…"

She reached over to him and traced his chest with her index finger, "It's been forever since we did it baby…it's so important that in the first year of marriage we really get to know each other intimately."

He cringed again, "I think we've done enough of that…"

She pouted at him, "Are you feeling alright?"

He sighed and scooted away from her and quickly got off the couch, "Sam I think we need to talk."

She groaned and fell forward onto the couch so she was lying on her stomach and her legs were up in the air. "But I don't wanna talk…Talking is so boring. I prefer sex over talking…" She paused and giggled. "Actually I prefer sex over pretty much anything."

He rolled his eyes but she didn't seem to notice. "Yeah that's great for you but…we really do need to talk."

She sighed and rolled over onto her back before pulling herself up on the couch so she was in a sitting position. "Fine…what is so important."

He cleared his throat and went to lean against the deep freeze. "The thing is…I think we sort of rushed into this whole thing."

She squinted her eyes up at him, "What do you mean?"

He sighed realizing this wasn't going to be as easy as he hoped it would be. "What I mean is I think we rushed into this marriage. I mean we had only known each other for a few hours when we eloped."

She shrugged and smiled, "That's what make it so exciting!"

"But Sam…marriage is supposed to be about love. It's supposed to involve two people who want to spend the rest of their lives together." He said trying to reason with her.

She stood up and walked over to him and reached for his hand. "Well I do love you."

Hyde stared at her in disbelief and shifted his feet uncomfortably. "Sam…you couldn't possibly love me."

"Well why not?" She asked putting her hands on her hips starting to become irritated with him.

"Because you know nothing about me." He said simply.

She rolled her eyes, "That's not true! I know lots of things about you!"

He scoffed, "Like what?"

She pursed her lips and tapped her foot on the ground; "Well…like that you love to smoke pot with your friends."

Hyde laughed, "Oh yeah that's real deep."

Her face flushed red and she thought some more, "And…and I know that you love Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones!"

Hyde looked down at his shirt and of course he was wearing a Zeppelin shirt. "Anyone could figure that out Sam…the only shirts I wear are band t's."

She sighed and threw her hands up in the air, "Well what else do I need to know about you then?"

He shrugged and pushed off the deep freeze as he started to pace around the basement, "I don't know…things like what my favorite foods are. What my childhood was like and how I started to live with the Forman's. What I want my life to be like…things like that!"

She was quiet for a moment and then said simply, "So tell me about all those things."

He shook his head, "It's not that simple Sam."

"Why not?" She asked walking closer to him.

He sighed and tried to find the right words, "Sam I don't trust a lot of people, okay? It takes a lot for me to open up to someone and I don't feel comfortable enough to talk to you about those things."

"Well then who can you talk to them about? Or who have you talked to them about?" She asked curiously.

Hyde shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down in shame, "There's really only one person who knows the answers to all those questions…"

They stood in silence or a moment before Sam smiled sadly, "You mean Jackie?"

He felt his heart start to pound in his chest as he lifted his head to look her in the eye. "Yeah. Jackie…"

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, "I should have known you were still hung up on her…"

He cocked his head to the side, "Why?" He asked. "She's never around and I don't talk about her ever…"

She laughed, "Well not when you are awake no…but you sure talk a lot about her in your sleep."

Hyde's cheeks turned red from embarrassment. "I do?"

She nodded and smiled at him, "All you say over and over again is 'I'm sorry Jackie. I'm sorry. I love you.'" She shrugged, "At first it really irritated me but then I just kind of got over it because you never said anything when you were awake anyway. I figured it would stop eventually but it hasn't…"

He stared at her for a second before responding, "Sam I'm sorry I dragged you into this. You didn't do anything wrong we just…we're not right for each other. And I am still in love with Jackie…"

Sam had a sad look on her face but she reached a hand out to touch his arm, "You really don't think it could work between us?"

He tried to smile at her, "I'm sorry Sam but no. You're a lot of fun you're really pretty but we're not right for each other. Besides…" He shrugged, "You deserve someone who will really love you…someone who wants to be with you. Not someone who just wants sex…"

She sighed and retracted her hand and nodded her head, knowing he was right. "I guess I should have seen this coming all along…even at our wedding you said her name instead of mine."

Hyde had been about to take a step back but he seemed paralyzed by her statement. "I what?"

She smiled at him, "When we said our vows you said 'I Steven take you Jackie…' instead of Sam…" She shrugged, "I guess I just wanted a reason to leave my life in Vegas and I thought we could find a way to make it work."

He scratched the back of his neck trying to take in everything she was saying. "So...if I didn't say the right now…is our marriage even legal?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Probably not…"

Hyde couldn't help it; he started to laugh because he felt almost giddy inside. "Oh man…"

Sam smiled at him, "You know you're a really great guy Hyde. I'm sorry that this has to be the end for us."

He snapped out of his thoughts and turned back to her, "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

She shrugged, "It's cool. This isn't the first time I got married to a customer and I'm sure it won't be the last."

Hyde couldn't help but laugh again, "Uh okay…"

She started to walk towards his room, "I'm gonna start to pack. I'll be out of your way in no time. I don't think anything is legal like I said but I'll have my lawyer call yours just to confirm."

He nodded, "Cool. But where are you gonna go now?"

"Probably back to Vegas. I used to date the owner of the club you met me at. He always lets me come back after one of these little hiccups." She said with a smirk.

He laughed again, "Is that what you would call this? A little hiccup?"

She smiled and turned back to him, "We made a crazy fast decision and it didn't work out. I'll be okay."

He stared at her for a moment, this part was the easy part, trying to get Jackie to forgive him would be much harder. "What about me? Do you think I'll be okay?"

She smiled at him, "I think you really love Jackie…I don't know much about her but I think you'll find a way to fix it all."

He took a deep breath trying to calm himself, "I really hope you're right."

"Just be honest…tell her how you really feel." She said simply, "That's all girls ever really want. It may not get better overnight but eventually it will be okay."

"Why are you being so nice to me? You should be pissed…" He said shaking his head in amazement.

She shrugged, "Like I said before…I knew you loved her. The signs were all there. As much as I'd like to say I know that I'm not what you want. I can't be mad at you for doing what you know is right."

He put his hands in his pockets and smiled back at her. "Good luck with everything Sam."

"Thanks Hyde. Good luck to you too." With that she turned back to go into Hyde's room to pack.

Hyde stood there for a moment and realized that he still had a long way to go. He looked over at the back door and decided he might as well take some baby steps and see what he could fix now. Jackie wouldn't be as open to talking as Sam was but he could at least give it a try. He had made her wait long enough and it was time to own up to all of his mistakes…even if it terrified him.

He took a deep breath, grabbed his coat and opened the back door to hopefully begin the long road back to happiness.

* * *

Jackie hadn't been able to sleep much the past few nights. There were to many thoughts running through her head, which kept her from being able to shut her brain off. She was exhausted…today at work she had almost fallen asleep which resulted in her spilling coffee all over Mr. Shaw's co-anchor Mary Bright who already hated Jackie as it was. After twenty minutes of Mary screaming at her and threatening to get her fired she finally gave up and stormed out of the room telling everyone who would listen that Jackie was incompetent.

She didn't bother cooking anything when she got home and she was to afraid to stop anywhere to get take out after what happened at the Hub. It didn't matter much anyway…she had lost her appetite after her conversation with Michael. She had just crawled into bed hoping to finally be able to sleep tonight when the phone rang.

She sighed and thought about not answering but she figured whoever it was would just call back until she did. She threw her tired legs over the edge of the bed and paddled into the living room to answer it before the last ring.

"Hello?" She asked as she leaned against the couch, hoping this would be a quick conversation.

_"I'm starting to worry that our plan isn't going to work…" A frantic voice said on the other end of the phone._

She sighed and walked around the couch to sit down, "Eric?"

_"Who else are you currently concocting plans with Jackie?" He said angrily._

She rolled her eyes, "Don't get snippy with me Forplay…I don't have to be helping you. I have no reason to right now anyway."

_"What do you mean? Don't you want to help me surprise Donna? She is your best friend after all." He said feeling confused by her statement._

She sighed and pulled her legs up on the couch; she had not told Eric anything about what was going on back at home. She knew he knew about Sam but it was clear no one had told him anything else about the state of their group of friends at the moment.

"I just meant…out of everyone in the group you and I have never been that close." She said trying to cover up her tracks so he wouldn't ask anymore questions.

_"That's true…but I knew Hyde would make fun of me for trying to make some romantic gesture. Fez would cry and spill the beans and Kelso is just so stupid he would probably blow something up somehow." He said in response._

Jackie couldn't help but laugh. "I suppose that's true…"

_Eric sighed, "I know I haven't always been that nice to you but I really would appreciate it if you could help me out with this. I promise as soon as I get home I'll help you with something important to you."_

Jackie felt tears well up in her eyes; she didn't think he could possibly fix any of the things that were wrong with her life. But it sure was nice to have someone offer to be there for her.

"Don't worry about it Eric…it's no problem at all. You and Donna are meant to be together…it's my pleasure to help you." She said even though it wasn't all that true.

She still couldn't figure out why she was actually helping him but she figured it was because she wanted to see love win for once. She thought maybe it would help to pull her out of this funk and find a way to rebuild her life.

_"Well I hope you know I do appreciate your help." He said honestly. "Thank you."_

"You're welcome." She said leaning back against the couch again, "So I'll pick you up at four at the airport on Friday and we will go back to your house. You'll hide in the basement while I distract everyone."

_"Right. And before you pick me up you're going to pick up flowers and some candles for me." He reminded her._

"I'm going to pick them up tomorrow. Don't worry." She assured him.

_Eric sighed feeling more comfortable with the plan now that he had talked to her, "Okay good…"_

She was about to say something else when she heard a knock on the door, "Stop worrying so much. Enjoy your last few days over there in Africa doing whatever it is you are doing. There is someone knocking on my door so I need to go but everything will be fine."

_Eric took a deep breath, "Okay. You're right. I'm worrying to much."_

"Just remember that Donna loves you and that she misses you." She said standing up. "It will all work out."

_"Thank you Jackie. I'll see you on Friday." He said._

"I'll be there." She said as the person knocked again. "I have to go though. Bye."

_"Bye Jackie. Have a good night." He said as he hung up._

Jackie hung up her own phone and then quickly walked over to see who was knocking at her door at this hour. She didn't think to look in the peephole because they had been waiting so long anyway, so when she opened the door she was in complete shock to see who was on the other side.

Hyde stood there with a nervous look on his face and his hands in his pockets. He had his favorite jean jacket on and one of his Led Zeppelin t-shirt. She noticed he didn't have his sunglasses on which was actually more shocking to her than the fact that he was standing there in front of her.

She had momentarily forgotten how to speak and Hyde wasn't surprised by her reaction so he tried to start the conversation. "Hey Jackie…"

Her heart was pounding in her chest and she had to lean against the doorframe to keep from falling over. "H-h-hi."

He took in her appearance and noticed that she looked even smaller than the last time he had seen her, which seemed impossible to him. "Uh…I'm sure you are pretty surprised to see me here. It's been awhile…"

She swallowed hard and gripped the doorframe tighter. "You could say that…"

He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "I uh…I just wanted to come by to talk to you real quick. I hope I'm not interrupting anything…"

She looked back at her dark empty apartment and tried to find an excuse to get him to leave but she knew she had none. "No...you aren't interrupting anything."

He nodded slowly and stared at her again trying to find the courage to say what he needed to say. "I uh…I really just wanted to come over here to apologize."

Jackie blinked a few times and leaned further into the doorframe, had she just heard him correctly, was he apologizing to her? "I'm sorry?" She said softly.

He smiled knowing this was probably all really confusing for her. "I said I'm sorry. For everything I put you through in the last few months…" He shook his head. "You didn't deserve any of that…"

She swallowed again and looked down feeling extremely overwhelmed, "I don't…I don't understand. Why are you doing this? Why now? Why at all?"

He sighed and tried to look deep in her eyes, "Because I was wrong Jackie. And I should have done this a long time ago…but I was to afraid and to proud to apologize. You know I've never really been good at this kind of thing…"

She shook her head again, "I still don't-"

"Sam and I are over." He whispered trying to help her understand.

Instead of being happy like he had hoped she seemed to look outraged at his statement. "Are you-"

"No. No. I'm not here because she's gone and I want sympathy or think you'll just take me back." He said shaking his head.

She stood up straighter, "Then what made you come here if you didn't think that I would give you a pity fuck?"

He cringed, "I probably deserved that…" He sighed and put his hands back in her pockets. "I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately and I realized I made a lot of mistakes. I've known that for a long time but I've been too afraid to admit them. I don't expect you to just forgive me and that it will all be okay but I want you to know that I never wanted Sam. I never wanted to hurt you either because you are the only person that ever really cared about me."

She looked down because she was beginning to feel extremely overwhelmed. "Then why did you do it?"

He sighed and began to speak honestly again, "Because when I walked into that hotel room I felt like my whole world had fallen apart. I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest in a matter of seconds and I couldn't look through the pain…"

She quickly looked back up at him and stared at his face for a moment. "I saw Michael the other day…he told me he told you nothing happened between us and that you believed him."

He nodded. "Yeah. That's true."

"Why did you believe him and not me?" She asked squinting her eyes up at him, "Why could you trust one of your friends and not the person who loved you?"

"Because I never expected to fall in love Jackie…" He whispered to her.

She sighed and shook her head; "I don't understand what you are-"

"It was terrifying to me that someone could make me feel the way you did. I just felt like it was all to good to be true and that I was stupid for thinking I could be happy with you. It just seemed easier to walk away then to get any more involved…" He whispered.

She was quiet for a moment letting his words sink in. "Okay…you've apologized. What do you want me to do now?"

He smiled sadly at her, "Nothing."

She was still confused, "Okay…?"

He sighed and nodded his head again, "I don't expect anything from you…you don't owe me anything. And I'm sure this apology doesn't really fix much but I felt like I really needed to say this. You deserved better and I screwed up. So…" He shrugged. "I'm sorry."

She took a deep breath and stood up, pushing herself off the doorframe. "Well…thank you I guess."

He nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets again. "You're welcome." He cleared his throat and looked back at her apartment, "Well I don't want to take up anymore of your time…"

She continued to stare at him, still feeling shocked that he was even standing here let alone that he had apologized. "I have to get up early in the morning for work…"

"Right…" He stepped back again, "Well maybe I'll see you around sometime?"

She knew she would see him on Friday but even with this interaction it still made her nervous to see him again. "Maybe…"

He smiled and nodded and backed up some more. "Have a good night Jackie. It was good to see you."

She watched him walk all the way down the hall until she couldn't see him anymore. When he was out of sight, she turned and shut the door to her apartment. She flicked off the lights and walked back to her bedroom and crawled into bed.

She lay on her back and stared up at the ceiling and tried to let everything that had just happened sink in. She could not believe that Steven Hyde had just come to her apartment and that he had apologized.

On one hand she felt grateful and relieved to know that he did care. But on the other hand she felt frustrated because it made her even more confused than she had been before.

Either way…something about the sight of him brought a quiet calm over her. Without realizing it, her eyes began to blink a few times before they fell shut completely and for the first time in a long time she was able to fall into a deep sleep…

* * *

**So what did you think? Hopefully you liked it! Let me know and I will update as soon as I can! Thanks! **


End file.
